enJOY it is a craft and lifestyle blog from Elise Blaha Cripe. DIY projects, simple recipes, backyard garden updates and many rambles on goal-setting and running a small business.

Over the years I have shared many a post about "green skincare." (The most recent was March 2014.) I've spent the last four years intentionally and unintentionally narrowing down the amount of product I use on my skin. Originally this came from realizing some of the harmful chemicals we slather on ourselves. Then it came from being really busy and having little time to actually slather myself. And more recently, it came from going through my bathroom drawers and realizing it was time to throw out all the product I don't use. (Thank you #konmarimethod.)

And so, I present my "final" post about this crap because I feel like I'm down to so few products and I have used so many of these things for so long that I can't imagine the routine will get more simple.

In that top photo, you are looking at the extent of my skincare and makeup products. Aside from a few chapsticks in various corners of the house this is everything I own. (I added in Ellerie's sunscreen because we love it.)

Some of this stuff - like the Pangea Organics - I have used for the past four years. (It still works great, my skin never rebelled and asked for a change.) Some of it, like the Rocky Mountain Soap deodorant is new this year. All of it is stuff I would recommend, but recommending skincare products is really hard because we all have such different skin and varied needs.

Some of this stuff I pick up at Target, some via Amazon and some I have to order directly from the brand. Links are to Amazon or brand where appropriate and some links here are affiliate.

SUN SAFE : ah, sunscreen. My love language (and where I spend my money). The body stuff I use from Josie Maran I think has been discontinued. :( But I like this or this for face. The body is a bit more white than I'd like but the face products because though they are mineral sunscreens they both rub in well and feel great on my skin.

MAKE UP : this is where I guess I am the most minimalist. It's not that I don't like makeup, but it's never been something I'm good at or willing to spend time learning. Going to Sephora gives me much more anxiety than excitement. And because I don't wear much, when I actually DO take the time, I always feel odd looking at the face in the mirror (like "who is that and why does she think she can pull off that lipstick?") But that Tarte stuff is legit. And I love this mascara (which I started buying in the mini size because I never get through it before it expires). I've started using this (sold at Target) to "enhance" my eyebrows. When I wear lipstick it's either this (in apparently a discontinued color), this (in bali but I think they changed the name to jamaica?) or this (in courage). And if I have something really fancy (which would be like a wedding) I'll wear this under eye stuff, a bit of this in regal ruby on my cheeks and this on my eyelids.

HAIR : I stopped brushing or combing my hair after hopping out of the shower and it's done wonders for my curls. I lightly towel try my hair and then rub this stuff through, first as a de-tangler (just using my fingers) and then I "scrunch" my curls. That's it. Too easy. On the rare occasion that I straighten my hair (every six weeks?) I use the same stuff. I'll use this Redkin stuff if I need to give my hair some extra volume (smells odd but works). I'm back on the Unite shampoo and conditioner train after trying and failing with the Trader Joe's brand.

BODY : we use a variety of chemical free body soaps in the shower. I just pick something up when I'm at Target or Trader Joe's. I love this roll on lotion and this roll-on deodorant. The lotion I would recommend for everyone. The non-chemical deodorant may not be a great fit for everybody. So many factors go into the right deodorant (hormones, activity level, climate) but if you already like natural deodorants and find your body responds to them, then I'd recommend. This hand lotion is the best and I rarely wear polish on my fingernails these days but I have a few (toxic) options on hand.

Here's the list of chemicals to avoid that I always include with posts like this (click to enlarge). It's from the book There's Lead in Your Lipstick. Most (but not all) of what I shared here is compliant with these guidelines, but of course check your labels.

Any product favorites you want to share? The comments sections of posts like these always have more suggestions than I offer. :)

The plus side of the second kiddo is that you're over all the "extras." There is a better understanding of needs vs. frills. I bought super bizarre things for Ellerie (like so many sets of pjs and then she slept in onesies and sleep sacks) but I also stupidly skimped on things that really would have made our lives better. (See below.)

So this post is going to share some of that. I've broken it down into hopefully helpful categories. Yays, Nays and Big Mistakes.

WHAT WE LOVED :

breast pump (love is a long shot here, but you know what I mean) Be sure to try and get one through your insurance before you purchase!

a baby monitor. I bought one, but she's just down the hall and we never used it once. Plus, I realized I don't want to hear every tiny sound. I want to hear the loud sounds. (Obviously we didn't do a video monitor either.)

all those cute PJs

so many cute dresses (this is just me I think. Most people probably love dressing their kiddo up. I kept things very simple and can't imagine I'll switch gears this time.)

WHAT WE SKIPPED (AND WILL SKIP AGAIN) :

pacifiers (just never offered and don't plan to this time)

wipe warmer

bottle warmer

anything fancy to make baby food

a diaper bag (I had a zippered pouch packed with a change of clothes, three diapers and wipes that I threw into my purse when we went out - it stays in the car now that Elle is older).

WHAT WE MISSED OUT ON LAST TIME :

a comfy rocking chair. This was my biggest mistake. I should have bought a comfy rocker long ago and I am so glad we finally got this one.

a newborn friendly stroller. Not having a newborn stroller was my second biggest mistake. We have a BOB Revolution (which we LOVE) but didn't get a carseat attachment and therefore had no stroller option for the first 3 months. I seriously don't know what the hell I was thinking but I am sure that not getting outside contributed to my post-partum sadness. This will not happen again and we are looking at double stroller options (and have heard great things about this Mountain Buggy one!)

a wrap carrier. I had this one, but didn't take advantage of it. I'll try again with this baby.

a hands free pumping bra (I pumped exclusively for nine months and never bought one of these. There are no limits to my WTFs on this.)

Baby "necessities" are so arbitrary. I read some lists of must-haves and they are items that totally didn't work for me. And then I read other lists and I'm like "are you kidding?! you left off the only thing that got me through those first two months." So really, it's a crap shoot. All you need is love. And perspective. And a bit of red wine.

The quick gist is, no grains, no beans, no rice, no dairy, no sugar of any kind, no artificial sugar, no alcohol. It's sort of like Paleo but there are a few differences. There are other guidelines worked into it too like no (or minimal) snacking, no "cheats," and no weighing yourself for 30 days.

We decided to try it without much research. Basically, I had seen a lot of folks (both real life friends and social media friends) talk about it and I was interested. Last pregnancy, I had gestational diabetes (which usually presents around 28 weeks) and controlled it easily by monitoring what sorts of food I ate (basically a low carb diet). I figured this would just be a bit stricter GD diet AND there was a chance that the clean eating would help prevent GD this time around (I'll let you know if that turns out to be true).

Overall, I wanted a reason to feel motivated in the kitchen again. I wanted to refocus our meal prep and stop defaulting to the same (less healthy) meals. I'm not trying to lose weight (I'm pregnant) but Paul said he wouldn't mind dropping a few pounds.

So that's the introduction.

How are we doing 15 days in?

I'd say like a 7 on a scale of 1-10. Dinners are a 10. We are eating more veggies and finding some really fun recipes. The photos at the top of this post are of some dinners these past few weeks. Clockwise from top right : coconut chicken (we are using almond flour) and broccoli sauteed with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper, salad with a homemade olive oil and vinegar dressing with steak, Trader Joe's turkey burger (no bun) with mustard, tomato, avocado, caramelized onions and mushrooms & sweet potato fries, sweet potato "nachos" similar to this.

Breakfasts are a 5. Taste wise, I'm so over eggs. I want to wake up and eat oatmeal. Energy wise though, eggs just can't be beat. I am consistently making it until 11:30 before I am hungry again - something I am not sure I have ever said in my life. I'm eating scrambled eggs with avocado and some meat (usually leftover from the night before) and fruit. It's filling but getting boring.

Lunches are fine. Generally, we just eat leftovers (Paul brings them to work and I eat them here).

In the beginning I was snacking a ton. Mostly on fruit, nut butters and Larabars. Now though (actually just in the past few days) I am finding those snacks less necessary. It appears I am adjusting to the new routine. Increasing my weight gradually is important while pregnant though, so I am monitoring that and making sure to get enough food (and obviously, eating whenever I'm hungry).

I feel great energy wise. No headaches, no hunger, no physical cravings, no afternoon crashes. All good news. I am struggling to drink enough water though (just need to commit to it). I've done some reading and while veggies are more fibrous than whole grains, they take a lot more water to process through your system. Good to know. Working on it.

One of the big pros of the program is supposed to be better sleep and a clearer mind. I was getting decent sleep and felt "clear headed" before starting though so I can't say that's improved.

Paul says he feels pretty much the same physically, but better mentally about the choices we are making. So there's that. We also learned Ellerie loves cooked broccoli! So that was a bizarre and unexpected side effect.

In sum: not a lot to report. It's an intense way of eating, but it's 30 days. 30 days. You can do anything for 30 days. If you want a jump start, it could be a great fit. Hopefully I'll have a more exciting update when we complete the program on August 5!

this post is not sponsored or affiliated in anyway. just sharing an update.be sure to check with your doctor before starting a new food routine!

Everything I do with Ellerie these days (besides our book reading routine or trips to the park) feels about five minutes long. Her attention span is growing, but...she's two.

I wanted to share a cute and simple project we made over the weekend... a wooden E for her wall and a few tips for painting with toddlers.

We paint almost everyday that she's home (and at daycare she usually paints too). Normally we keep it simple with watercolors and then my "plan" is to just let her at it (we use a lot of scratch paper and not too much water). She's gotten familiar with holding the brush, dipping the paint, etc. It's pretty normal routine around here.

But this project was a little different because we were going to use craft paint (I actually used the little paints from this craft project but any craft paint would have worked). The wooden letter I picked up at Target in the office supply section for a few dollars.

I knew this could be a brown mess quickly and to try and keep things as simple as possible, I used a different paint brush for each color. I handled the paint dipping and just handed her colors on request. "Purple? You got it. Yellow? You got it. Blue? No, not blue? Okay, purple again? You got it."

Another trick I've learned is that it helps to give her suggestions of what to paint. Like "Ellerie, can you paint Grandpa?" Or "Ellerie, do you want to paint the sun?" or "Can you show mama how to paint a dog?" Of course it's all an "abstract Grandpa, sun or dog" but it gets her excited to connect the paint with the paper (or in this case letter) and she likes to point out later what she painted ("Grandma! Coco! Mama!")

It goes without saying (I hope!) that this was much more "organized" than a normal craft session. I would never say "structure your kiddo's art time!" on a constant basis but it worked well for getting this letter painted and she's SO excited to see it hanging on her wall ("I paint it!").

My last trick is to make sure you date the art! This is what my mom drills into me constantly and I'm working on getting an age on everything.

History of Love by Danielle Krauss / this was not the best book I have ever read, but I enjoyed it for sure. I am still a little confused by the ending; I think I wanted more. More closure? More detail? More? But I sort of think the point was to fade out like that. I smiled a lot while reading this one. The characters had a lot of character.

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins / like everyone, I heard so much hype about this one. It was the "thriller I wouldn't be able to put down!" except, I put it down a lot. Why? I don't know. The main character bugged me so much. Actually everything bugged me so much. I'm in the minority but this one fell flat for me, possibly because my expectations were too high.

All Joy and No Fun by Jennifer Senior / non-fiction?! How rare. This was another one I had heard good things about and I liked it. It was nice to read some of the real science behind while toddlers are crazy and it was really nice to hear some new stories (outside of "this is the hardest but best job I've ever had!") about moms and families. In many ways, I felt like this book helped me feel more relaxed as a parent. I wouldn't say it's a must read because I don't think parenting books are ever a "must" but it's a good one.

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn / Creeeeeeepy. So creepy. I think this is Gillian Flynn's first book and I was expecting a Gone Girl vibe and got something much more gross and intense. But THIS was a book I couldn't put down. It was just one "WTF?" moment after another and I liked that.

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes / this was a quick chick-lit read...so entertaining and slightly unbelievable. If you're a Jojo Moyes fan, I think you'd enjoy too, but I personally liked Me Before You more.

My name is Elise Blaha Cripe. I live in San Diego, California with my husband and young daughter.

I make stuff like it's my job.

I just launched GET TO WORK BOOK™, a daily planner + goal-setting journal. I also own a shop where I sell rad handmade items. This blog is where I share general life musings, insight into being a small business owner and the occasional craft project.

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